The newsroom includes access to CHA News, which provides timely information to members every Thursday and is at the core of CHA benefits. In addition, it is also home to resources such as toolkits and talking points designed to help member hospitals and health systems communicate with internal and external audiences on a range of current health care-related issues. Links to CHA media statements and press releases can also be found here.
Newsroom
Hospital Fee Program 9 Approval Takes Key Step Forward
What’s happening: On July 1, the Department of Health Care Services submitted an amended and completed directed payment preprint for Hospital Quality Assurance Fee Program 9 to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
AB 1415 Passes Senate Health Committee Stripped of Troubling Provisions
What’s happening: On Wednesday, Assembly Bill (AB) 1415 cleared the Senate Health Committee with vital amendments striking provisions that would have empowered the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) to collect data from and set unique spending targets on health systems in addition to individual hospitals, other providers, and payers.
HCAI Publishes List of Hospitals That Must Submit Report by Sept. 30 or Face $5,000 Penalty
What’s happening: The Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) recently published a list of hospitals that are required to submit a health equity report to the department by Sept. 30, as mandated by Assembly Bill 1204 (2021).
New Analyses Show Hospitals’ Performance under Key Quality Programs
What’s happening: DataSuite issued hospital-specific analyses based on the Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program, Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program, and quality measure trends.
State Budget Redirects Prop 35 Funds, Sets New Medi-Cal Requirements
What’s happening: State lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom this week reached a tentative agreement on the 2025-26 state budget, concluding weeks of negotiations.
Reminder: Submit SB 632 Opposition Letters by July 2
What’s happening: CHA issued an alert last week asking hospitals to write to the Assembly Committee on Insurance opposing Senate Bill (SB) 632 (Arreguín, D-Oakland), which would expand workers’ compensation presumptive eligibility.
Final Rule on ACA Marketplace Integrity Aims to Address ‘Improper’ Enrollment
What’s happening: On June 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule on Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace integrity and affordability.
Senate, House Leadership Face Continued Pressure on Medicaid Cuts
What’s happening: Key Republican members of Congress, led by Rep. David Valadao (R-CA 22), sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) vowing to oppose the Senate’s version of the reconciliation bill if its Medicaid cuts go beyond those in the House bill (H.R.1, One Big Beautiful Bill Act).
OHCA Report Confirms Hospitals Aren’t Primary Drivers of Health Care Costs
Earlier this month, the Office of Health Care Affordability delivered its first health care spending report, an annual release intended to inform both policymakers and the public about California’s health care spending trends over time.
New Resources Allow Hospitals to See Where They Fall Under OHCA’s ‘High Cost’ Methodology
What’s happening: CHA has created a data tool to help members replicate calculations used by the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) to identify so-called “high-cost” hospitals and assess how close they may be to the threshold.
